Today, at the very last legislative session of the 116th Congress, the House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) that would elevate the State Department’s Anti-Semitism Special Envoy position—first created by Smith’s legislative provisions in 2004—to an Ambassadorship, giving more clout to address the alarming rise in anti-Semitism worldwide. As the Senate has already approved the amended legislation, the bill now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signe... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today said: “The increase of COVID-19 relief checks to $2,000 coupled with yesterday’s extension of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), expanded unemployment benefits and other assistance are justified and necessary to assist tens of millions of people devastated by the pandemic and like previous COVID relief packages are a bridge to a post-COVID world.” ### Read more

Kurt Jensen, Catholic News Service – The Catholic bishop of Gboko, Nigeria, and the Knights of Columbus added their voices to a Dec. 17 congressional hearing spotlighting sectarian violence in Nigeria in which thousands of Christians have been killed simply for their faith identity. The hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission was spurred by recent developments: the fatal shooting of 51 peaceful protesters in Lagos Oct. 20; the kidnapping of over 300 schoolboys in Kankara, which govern... Read more

Even as the people of Belarus continue their brave struggle against a brutal dictatorship, a bill authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee(HFAC), was passed Monday night by both houses of Congress to ramp up pressure on entrenched Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenko following his regime’s violent crackdown and political repression that came in the wake of his fraudulent August 9 re-election. As prime sponsor of the Belarus Democracy, Human R... Read more

The House and Senate voted Monday night on a COVID relief and omnibus legislative package that provides critical COVID relief for unemployed Americans, their families and small businesses struggling under the weight of the impact of COVID, while also funding the government through the end of the fiscal year in September 2021. The final COVID relief bill passed would provide approximately $900 billion in federal assistance to continue to respond to the COVID pandemic and its impact on the economy... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today announced the winners of this year’s New Jersey Fourth Congressional District Congressional App Challenge (CAC), part of a nationwide competition for middle and high school students to showcase their software app-developing skills and teamwork. The winning app, CollabraCart, was designed by Communications High School students Erin Hardiman of Spring Lake, Melody Lin of Freehold and Jacob Rosegarten of Morganville. “I am pleased to congratulate all the winning studen... Read more

The brutal atrocities and continuing threats to Nigerian peace and stability—especially to Christians under seemingly relentless attacks by radical Islamists in Nigeria—were at the core of testimony by U.S. State Department officials and human rights organizations at a hearing today, “Conflict and Killings in Nigeria’s Middle Belt,” held by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. “Our Middle Belt region has truly become a vale of tears, a region where mas... Read more

U.S. Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK), announced bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate today called the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act (H.R. 8972, S.5016), intended to prevent the unethical and criminal harvesting organs from minority groups and other victims. “Organ harvesting is a barbaric, inhumane and egregious act of global significance as transnational human trafficking gangs, terrorist organizations, profiteers and eve... Read more

On Thursday, December 17 from 1–4 p.m., Congressman Chris Smith will co-chair a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the deteriorating human rights situation in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, including its religious dimensions, and proposed responses. The underlying causes of the conflict in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are complex and varied. They include competition for access to land and other resources between pastoralists and farmers exacerbated by drought, desertification, and climate ch... Read more

George Woolston Burlington County Times USA TODAY NETWORK - The $732 billion bill that sets spending and policy for the U.S. military has passed the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday with bipartisan support. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) received bipartisan support by passing 335-78, with a total of 140 Republicans and 195 Democrats backing the bill, the Associated Press reported. South Jersey lawmakers consider several provisions in the bill big wins for Joint Base McGuire-... Read more